When Life Gives You Sour Milk, 'Don't Be a Sourpuss'

Would you let a big organization stand in the way of your scientific discovery?

For Cameron Behram, 9, of Potomac and his little brother, age 7, the answer is "no."

They've been developing a testing strip to identify sour milk, and were using the slogan "got sour milk" for their website, which they set up to report on the project's progress.

But, the California Milk Processor Board—which owns the trademarked phrase "got milk?"—took exception to the boys' slogan, and the board's law firm sent the boys' parents a letter asking the boys to withdraw the project name, Steve Behram, the boys' father, told Patch.

The letter threatened legal action, Behram added.

"It’s weird they’re being so mean because my school buys a lot of milk," said Cameron Behram, who attends Potomac Elementary School.

And so, the boys changed their project's website title to Don't Be a Sourpuss.com.

The boys "were divided as to whether to abandon the project (and go out for ice cream) or to proceed forward with the project. For the first time in memory, ice cream did not win out," their father reported.

The boys started the project because they wanted to help their mom determine if milk had gone sour—without anyone (i.e., the boys) having to sniff potentially sour milk.

They're working with pH paper and semi-permeable membranes to develop a testing strip that won't fall apart when dipped in liquid, according to their project's website.

Read more about the boys' project on their (newly renamed) website, DontBeASourPuss.com.